Utah Central Railway (of 1992)

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This page was last updated on October 10, 2023.

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Overview

Utah Central Railway is a shortline operating in and around Ogden, Utah. The road has three separate segments:

The first segment, which was also their first operating location, is contract switching at the the former Southern Pacific plant trackage at the Little Mountain industrial complex, on the eastern shore of Great Salt Lake. UCRY is under contract from Westinghouse Electric to perform the switching at Western Zirconium at Little Mountain.

The second segment shares the old D&RGW yard at Ogden with Utah Railway. UCRY has the three or four north tracks and Utah Railway has the rest. Utah Central switches Dyce Chemical, right in the Ogden Yard and the grain elevator on the north side of the old D&RGW yard. The also operates west on the old D&RGW main to the old Amalgamated sugar works. Utah Central owns all the tracks at the sugar works, about seven miles.

A third segment of the Utah Central is its contract switching at Business Depot Ogden, a public-private enterprise at the former government's Defense Depot Ogden, closed in 1997 and transferred to the City of Ogden in 2003.

The following comes from Union Pacific's web site:

Utah Central Railway UCRY #963
Nature of Firm -- UCRY provides switching at Ogden, UT on the Evona Industrial Lead, Relico Spur, Sugar Works Spur, and Business Depot Ogden (BDO) and Little Mountain, UT at Western Zirconium.

History -- Utah Central Railway leased Evona Industrial Lead, Relico Spur and Sugar Works Spur from UP in August 2001. UCRY is under contract from Westinghouse Electric to perform the switching at Western Zirconium. UCRY acquired from Boyer BDO and the City of Ogden the right to operate Business Depot Ogden in January 2004.

Another description of Utah Central from the now defunct UtahDepot web site:

The Utah Central Railway (UCRY) is a small switching line in the Ogden Utah area. They switch the Simplot AgriSource Grain Elevator on 21st street. In addition to the grain elevator, UCRY services Dyce Chemical on the west end of the main yard, along with industry at the Ogden Industrial Park (Stratford) and Ogden Sugar Works. Major commodities include chemicals, asphalt, diesel fuel, plastic, coil steel, utility poles, sugar, wheat and lumber. The Utah Central Railway has a history which can be traced back to 1869. The current operation is based out of the Amalgamated Sugar factory site at West Haven. The road has 10 employees, two SW 1500 units, and handles around 3,500 carloads per year. Interchange is between UP in the Ogden main yard or BNSF at Transfer (West) yard. For their first motive power, they used former Air Force GE 44 ton switchers. They now run two SW1500s painted black, UCRY 82 and 83. They also used a UP caboose from Ogden Union Station, but repainted it in UCRY colors. It's now back at the station wearing its UCRY paint and they now have an MP caboose. (UtahDepot.Railfan.net - Utah Central Railway, May 2002; web site no longer available)

Timeline

September 23, 1992
Utah Central Railway (UCRY) began rail operations over lines owned by Westinghouse Electric Corporation totaling 2.75 miles located in Utah. The company started with five employees and interchanged with Southern Pacific. It operated from two separate locations. (Railroad Retirement Board Employer Determination 94-25)

In September 1992, a local switching road called Utah Central Railway, began operations serving the Simplot grain storage facilities situated in Rio Grande's former West Yard. At the same time, the road began switching rail cars for Westinghouse Electric at their Western Zirconium plant at Little Mountain, providing interchange cars for both SP and UP. (Ogden Rails, second edition, page 162)

August 14, 2001
Utah Central Railway leased from Union Pacific the following Ogden area trackage:

After nine years of early operations in D&RGW's former Ogden yard, in August 2001, Utah Central leased from UP, the former D&RGW Transfer Yard, UP's Evona Industrial Lead, and the connecting Sugar Works Spur. By early 2000, prior to taking the formal lease of the trackage, Utah Central handled 3,500 cars per year. In January 2004, the road assumed contract switching services for the Business Depot Ogden, the privatized former U. S. Army Defense Depot Ogden. (Ogden Rails, second edition, page 162)

May 2003
Utah Central Railway, Ogden, Utah, purchased Denver & Rio Grande Western caboose 01480 in May 2003. The graffiti covered caboose had been stored at UP's Denver Locomotive Shop, Denver, Colorado, in recent years. The caboose was to be overhauled in Denver and then shipped to Ogden, UT. (Trainorders.com, May 15, 2003)

June 2003
Ex SP B30-7 7780 was in service on Utah Central, in full SP paint.

February 6, 2004
Utah Central Railway received federal Surface Transportation Board approval to operate over 15 miles of tracks located within Business Depot Ogden (BDO), the former Defense Depot Ogden which was deactivated and turned over the the City Of Ogden on September 30, 1997. The new Business Depot Ogden is a joint venture between Ogden City and The Boyer Company to develop BDO as a light manufacturing, warehousing, and administrative business center. (STB Finance Docket 34457, decided January 27, 2004, service date February 6, 2004)

"... to acquire from Boyer BDO, L.C. and the City of Ogden, UT, the right to operate over approximately 15 miles of trackage in Ogden. The tracks are located within an industrial area known as the Business Depot Ogden (BDO) and are known as the BDO Industrial Tracks. The tracks extend west from Union Pacific Railroad Company's (UP) mainline tracks at milepost UN 04.7. Consummation of the transaction was scheduled to take place on January 20, 2004. UCRC currently operates over certain portions of UP's rail line in Ogden. See Utah Central Railway Company–Lease and Operation Exemption–Union Pacific Railroad Company, STB Finance Docket No. 34051 (STB served Aug. 22, 2001)."

November 18, 2005
Utah Central Railway (UCRY) owners organized the new Modoc Northern Railroad (MNRR) to operate and lease (with option to purchase) a portion of Union Pacific's Modoc Subdivision in southern Oregon and northern California. The leased trackage extends 107.15 miles from milepost 552.0 at Texum (Klamath Falls), Oregon, to milepost 445.6 at the end of track near McArthur, California, along with the Lakeview Branch extending approximately 53 miles north from Alturas to Lakeview, Oregon.

December 2006
Modoc Northern Railroad B30-7 7780 was returned to Utah Central Railway at Ogden.

At some time in mid 2007, the Blansett family divided their railroad interests among members of the family, with ownership of Modoc Northern Railroad going to one side of the family, and other family members taking full ownership of Utah Central Railway.

Patriot Rail

October 2007
Negotiations began for sale of Utah Central Railway to Patriot Rail.

November 8, 2007
Patriot Rail applied to the federal Surface Transportation Board for approval to purchase and control the Utah Central Railway. (STB Finance Docket 35102, service date November 15, 2007)

January 3, 2008
Utah Central Railway (UCRY) was sold to Patriot Rail Corporation of Boca Raton, Florida. The following is excerpted from The Salt Lake Tribune, January 3, 2008:

"Utah Central is exactly the kind of railroad we're interested in acquiring," said Stan Wlotko, senior vice president of operations at Patriot Rail. "It has a strong customer base and operates in an area where business and industry are growing."

Utah Central was established in 1992 by William and Beth Blansett. It operates 34 miles of track formerly owned by Union Pacific. Last year, its five locomotives and 17 employees handled approximately 8,500 rail cars. Utah Central also has a long-term agreement to provide rail switching services at the Ogden Business Depot industrial park.

Patriot Rail was organized in 2006 by Gary O. Marino, who in 1986 co-founded RailAmerica and built that company into the world's largest short-line and regional railroad holding company with more than 2,800 employees, $500 million in revenue and more than 15,000 miles of track.

Patriot Rail and Utah Central's two individual owners first agreed to the purchase on October 29, 2007. The sale was to take effect on November 29, 2007. The final sale was delayed until the details of the confidential sale were submitted to the federal Surface Transportation Board. (STB Finance Docket 35102, service date November 8, 2007)

September 23, 2008
From a news release dated September 23, 2008:

Maumee, Ohio and Boca Raton, Florida, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Andersons, Inc. and Patriot Rail Corp. ("Patriot") today announced that The Andersons, Inc. recently opened a new railcar repair shop in Ogden, Utah, on the property of Patriot's wholly-owned railroad subsidiary, the Utah Central Railway ("UCRY").

This is the second railcar repair shop The Andersons has opened this year with Patriot Rail. In March 2008, The Andersons opened a car repair shop in Anaconda, Montana, at Patriot's Butte, Anaconda & Pacific Railway. At UCRY's Ogden, Utah location, The Andersons will perform railcar maintenance and repair services on railcars owned by third parties, as well as railcars managed by The Andersons.

"Our overall strategy includes providing quality repairs and outstanding customer service at locations throughout the United States," said Rasesh Shah, President of The Andersons' Rail Group. "The opening of the location in Utah fits well with this strategy and enables us to continue to grow our relationship with Patriot Rail."

Gary O. Marino, Chairman, President and CEO of Patriot Rail Corp., said, "We welcome The Andersons to our Utah railroad and look forward to further expanding our relationship to our other rail properties in the future. These car repair shops provide 'one-stop shopping' for railcar owners needing to have their cars repaired at a convenient location. At the same time, our railroads are able to better utilize their facilities and increase non-freight related income."

About The Andersons, Inc.

The Andersons, Inc. is a diversified company with interests in the grain, ethanol and plant nutrient sectors of U.S. agriculture, as well as in railcar leasing and repair, turf products production, and general merchandise retailing. Founded in Maumee, Ohio, in 1947, the company now has operations in 12 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, plus rail equipment leasing interests in Canada and Mexico.

About Patriot Rail Corp.

Patriot Rail Corp. is a short line and regional freight railroad holding company based in Boca Raton, Florida. The Company owns and operates five short line freight railroads comprising 321 total rail miles - the Tennessee Southern Railroad in Tennessee and Alabama, the Butte, Anaconda & Pacific Railway in Montana, the Utah Central Railway in Utah, the Sacramento Valley Railroad in California, and the Louisiana & North West Railroad in Louisiana and Arkansas.

Locomotives (1992-2008)

Road
Number
Locomotive
Model
Previous
Number
Builder
Number
Date
Built
Date To
UCRy
Date
Retired
Notes
UCRY 82 SW1500 NS 82 73635-1 Jan 1974 30 Apr 1997 30 Dec 2002 1
UCRY 83 SW1500 NS 83 73635-2 Jan 1974 30 Apr 1997 30 Dec 2002 2
UCRY 1237 GE 44 ton USAF 1237     Sep 1992 Apr 1997 3
UCRY 1244 GE 44 ton USAF 1244 31882 Feb 1953 Oct 1991 Sep 1996 4
USAF 1604         Jan 1997   5
USAF 1637         Jan 1997   6
UCRY 3104 B23-7 SCL     May 2005 Oct 2013 7
UCRY 7750 B30-7 SP 7750 41864 Mar 1978 Jul 2002   8
UCRY 7780 B30-7 SSW 7780 42794 Mar 1980 Mar 2007   9
UCRY 7806 B30-7 SP 7806 41864 Mar 1978 2006? Oct 2013 10
UCRY 8501 B39-8 LMX 8501 45410 Oct 1987 Sep 2006   11
  GE 70 ton       Jan 2002   12

General Notes (1992-2008):

  1. Utah Central Railway uses UCRY as its AAR reporting mark.
  2. In addition to locomotives shown above, at times UCRY has leased small and large locomotives on a temporary basis. These include ex SP B30-7s 7742 and 7880, both used on short-term leases from UP during 2003.
  3. UCRY also uses an ex U. S. Army H12-44 to switch Business Depot Ogden; this is a former Defense Logistics Agency locomotive that remained at the Ogden location when ownership of DDO/BDO was transferred to the City of Ogden in September 1997.
  4. Utah Central GE's -- "A question was asked about the GE's that the Utah Central are using. All big GE's are being used. One of the B30-7's is painted in Modoc Northern and is to be repainted into Utah Central colors. The other B30-7 is still in SP colors. The B23-7 is in silver and black paint. The other big GE, the B39-8, is an RCLX unit 8501 and is to be painted soon. With the GE 70t units (there are three at present) talk is to use two to make one unit operational. The big GE's come in handy Utah Central move some big trains in the Ogden yard." (email from Ryan Ballard to LocoNotes email discussion group, April 5, 2007)
  5. For several years, a former Defense Logistics Agency Fairbanks-Morse H12-44 (F-M 12L678, Feb 1953) was used by Utah Central to switch cars at the privately-owned Business Depot Ogden. The locomotive is owned by BDO and was used without proper authority.

Notes (1992-2008):

  1. Utah Central 82 was built as K&IT 82, to Southern Railway 82, to Norfolk Southern 82, retired by NS on 25 June 1996; to Metro-East Industries (dealer); to Helm Financial; leased to Utah Central 82 on 30 April 1997, received by UCRy at Ogden on 7 May 1997; lease expired on 30 December 2002; returned to Helm; to LGE Sand & Gravel at Edwardsville, Kansas by September 2005. (Sources: Locomotive Notes II, Number 198, September-October 1997, page 23, from The Mixed Train; Randy Keller via email on January 9, 2005, citing STB recordations for Helm Financial; Diesel Era, January-February 2006, page 57)
  2. Utah Central 83 was built as K&IT 83, to Southern Railway 83, to Norfolk Southern 83, retired by NS on 25 June 1996; to Metro-East Industries (dealer); to Helm Financial; leased to Utah Central 83 on 30 April 1997, received by UCRy at Ogden in October 1997 due to pre-lease maintenance work needed; lease expired on 30 December 2002; returned to Helm. (part from Locomotive Notes II, Number 199, November-December 1997, page 30, reported by Mike Pohlman; part from Randy Keller via email on January 9, 2005, citing STB recordations for Helm Financial)
  3. Utah Central 1237 was built as U. S. Air Force 1237; donated to Ogden Union Station in late 1990; leased to Utah Central Railway, Ogden, Utah, used during its initial startup in September 1992; returned in September 1997 and displayed at Ogden Union Station.
  4. Utah Central 1244 was built as USAF 1244; sold to Don Blansett on October 15, 1991 for use on Utah Central Railway; sold to OmniTrax in Loveland, Colorado by September 1996; repossessed by OmniTrax due to non-payment; stored as of August 2008 at Loveland, Colorado. Moved to South Fork, Colorado, before September 2012; still there in August 2021.
  5. Utah Central 1604 was built as USAF 1604, in service on Utah Central by January 1997. (Locomotive Notes II, Number 197, July-August 1997, page 26, reported by Ryan Ballard)
  6. Utah Central 1637 was built as USAF 1637, in service on Utah Central by January 1997 . (Locomotive Notes II, Number 197, July-August 1997, page 26, reported by Ryan Ballard)
  7. UCRY 3104 was leased from Livingston Rebuild Center; built as Seaboard Coast Line 5104, to SBD 5104, to SBD 3104, to CSXT 3104; in service on Utah Central by May 2005; sold to Utah Central Railway in March 2010; sold to Larrys Truck Electric during late October 2013; moved to Larrys Truck Electric at Girard, Ohio during late February and early March 2014. (2013 and 2014 updates from Mark Gillings via emails dated October 19, 2013 and February 28, 2014)
  8. UCRY 7750 is ex UP/SP 7750, retired by UP on 26 December 2001; in service on Utah Central by July 2002
  9. MN/UCRY 7780 is ex SSW 7780, retired by UP on 29 January 2001; to Modoc Northern in November 2005; to Utah Central by March 2007
  10. UCRY 7806 was built as SP 7806; renumbered to UP 7750 on 21 August 2001; retired by UP on 26 December 2001; to Utah Central 7806 on (date?) (UCRY 7806 may have been purchased or leased in early or mid 2006 and briefly used on Modoc Northern in 2006, but was likely returned to UCRY in March 2007 along with UCRY 7780 when the two companies were separated from each other); sold to Larrys Truck Electric and moved to Girard, Ohio, during late October 2013. (2013 update from Mark Gillings via email dated October 19, 2013)
  11. UCRY 8501 was leased from RLCX (Relco Leasing Company) by September 2006; built as GE-LMX 8501, leased to BN; returned to GE in July 2001; stored until sold to ATEL Leasing Corporation in April 2004; sold to Relco Leasing in October 2004; leased to Utah Central Railway September 2006; sold to Utah Central Railway in March 2010.
  12. Utah Central acquired three GE 70-ton locomotives from an unknown source in Washington state; two were intended for use and the third was for parts; ex HBM 30, ex SMV 20, and ex SMV 50 (Locomotive Notes II, Number 22, January 2002, page 11, reported by Ryan Ballard)

Locomotives (Patriot Rail; 2008-present)

Road
Number
Locomotive
Model
Previous
Number
Builder
Number
Date
Built
Date To
UCRy
Notes
(UCRY 100) GP10 NRE (USAX) 4619       1
(UCRY 101) GP10 NREX (BNSF) 1642       2
(UCRY 102) GP10 NRE (USAX) 1867       3
RARW/UCRY 201 GP9 WM/CSX 23909 Jun 1957 Sep 2008 4
RARW/UCRY 1010 GP39-2 KCC 709 796342-5 Sep 1980 Sep 2008 5
UCRY 1401 GP15-1 NS 1401 787249-10 Jul 1979 Aug 2010 6
UCRY 1418 GP15-1 NS 1418 787249-41 Nov 1979 Aug 2010 7
UCRY 1496 GP15-1 BN 1496 767076-22 Sep 1977 Feb 2011 8
UCRY 3810 GP38AC FTRX 3810 36080 Mar 1971 July 2022 9

Butte Anaconda & Pacific (BAP) GP15-1 1402 has been on Utah Central since 2017 (or earlier). BAP is another Patriot Rail subsidiary, located near Butte, Montana. BAP 1402 was seen in service in Montana in late 2015.

General Notes:

  1. Utah Central Railway GP10s 100-102 were painted and lettered for Utah Central in November 2008 but have yet to come to Utah; instead they remain in service on Patriot Rail's Louisiana & North Western line operating out of Gibsland, Louisiana.
  2. The two Rarus units (RARW 201 and 1010) came to Utah Central from Rarus Railway at Butte, Montana, which had been purchased by Patriot Rail in 2007 and renamed Butte, Anaconda & Pacific. RARW 201 and 1010 were transferred to Utah Central after Patriot Rail purchased UCRY in 2008
  3. Utah Central Railway 1401 and 1418 are former Norfolk Southern 1401 and 1418, and were purchased second-hand by way of Larrys Truck Electric in MacDonald, Ohio; repainted from NS to UCRy during early July 2010 (reported on July 10, 2010)

Notes:

  1. UCRy 100 leased from NRE; ex NREX (USAX) 4619; ex IC GP10; built as IC 9131; to ICG 8354; to IC 8354; sold to VMV where it became USArmy 4619; sold to NRE; sold to UCRY 100 (not in service in Utah)
  2. UCRy 101 leased from NRE; ex NREX (BNSF) 1642; ex IC GP10; previously reported in error as ex NREX (USAX) 4631 (not in service in Utah)
  3. UCRy 102 leased from NRE; ex NREX (USAX) 1867; ex IC GP10 (not in service in Utah)
  4. Rarus Railway/Utah Central GP9 201 was built in June 1957 as Western Maryland 44 (chopped short hood by WM in December 1965), renumbered to WM (Chessie System) 6419; retired by Chessie/WM about 1986; sold to Wilson (dealer); sold to Montana Western 201 in August 1987; sold to Rarus Railway 201 in 2003 when BNSF took back its lease to Montana Western for the operation of BNSF's 999-year lease of the UP-owned Montana Union; Rarus Railway was sold to new Patriot Rail/Butte Anaconda & Pacific in 2007; moved to Utah Central in September 2008, after Utah Central was purchased by Patriot Rail in July 2008; assigned as plant switcher at Business Depot Ogden. (Read more about Rarus Railway)
  5. Rarus Railway/Utah Central GP39-2 1010 was built in September 1980 as Kennecott Copper no. 709; retired by Kennecott in 2000; sold to Rarus Railway at Butte, Montana, in early 2004; Rarus Railway sold to Patriot Rail in May 2007; moved to Utah Central in September 2008, after Utah Central was purchased by Patriot Rail in July 2008; beginning in late 2010, assigned as plant switcher at Western Zirconium, Little Mountain, Utah (still in red primer color); painted in full Patriot Rail colors in September 2023 and reported as being moved to a Patriot Rail operation in Colorado (View a photo of Patriot Rail 1010 in September 2023).
  6. UCRy 1401 was shipped from LTE (Larrys Truck Electric) in August 2010; built as Conrail 1609; to NS in June 1999; retired by NS in March 2007; sold to Larrys Truck Electric (LTEX); sold to Patriot Rail
  7. UCRy 1418 was shipped from LTE (Larrys Truck Electric) in August 2010; built as Conrail 1640; to NS in June 1999; retired by NS in March 2007; sold to Larrys Truck Electric (LTEX); sold to Patriot Rail
  8. UCRy 1496 was built as SLSF 121; to BN 1396; to BNSF 1496 on 20 August 1998; retired by BNSF on 3 April 2008; released from Larrys Truck Electric at MacDonald, Ohio on 28 February 2011; changed to "Patriot Lines, Utah Central" on March 15, 2011.
  9. UCRy 3810 is ex FTRX (FTRL) 3810, formerly Indiana Railroad (INRD) 3810, built as GM&O 722. Built as GM&O GP38AC 722 (EMD 36080, March 1971), to IC 9541, to HLCX 3675, to INRD 32, to INRD 3810, to FTRL 3810, to UCRY 3810. Operated on Patriot Rails Utah Central Railway in Ogden, Utah, beginning in May 2020. Repainted to full Utah Central colors in June 2022.
  10. Photo: FTRX 3810 in 2018
  11. Photo: FTRL 3810 in fresh paint in 2016
  12. Photo: FTRL 3810 in 2015
  13. Photo: GM&O 722 in 1972

More Information

Utah Central Railway (Patriot Rail Corp.)

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